Number of funeral companies in Russia jumped more than 20% in a year

Russia's funeral services market is growing faster than it has in five years—driven by bureaucratic change rather than tragedy. Per Meduza, registered funeral companies and entrepreneurs jumped twenty-two point five percent year-over-year as of mid-2026, reaching nearly one thousand entities. The broader sector grew seven point six percent to eleven thousand five hundred organizations. The driver: formalization. Funeral agents who previously operated without licenses now must register to accept card payments and access state budget compensation. Tax law changes are amplifying the trend; businesses are restructuring after the value-added tax exemption threshold was lowered. Industry sources told Kommersant that none of this growth is tied to Russia's war in Ukraine.

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